Bandits won't face time in pen for pig theft

LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Tippecanoe county prosecutor is offering amnesty to those who stole four life-size fiberglass pigs that were part of a public art display in downtown Lafayette.\nAbout one pig per month was swiped from 300-pound concrete slabs throughout the display that began in May as a benefit for the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette and CASAs for Kids Inc.\nIf those who have the stolen pigs return them to police or the art museum by Sept. 1, they will not face criminal charges, Tippecanoe County Prosecutor Jerry Bean said.\n"We'd like to get the pigs returned, and hopefully they're in good condition," he said Monday.\nThe pigs, decorated by local artists and sponsored by area businesses, were pulled off the streets in early August after the fourth one was stolen. They are now on display at a Lafayette business.\nThree of the missing pigs were to be auctioned off Sept. 13, while the other was to reside in the children's section of the Tippecanoe County Public Library.\n"That was one the kids really liked and was going to be a neat thing," said Les Reker, the art museum's executive director.\nDespite the four thefts and damage to the remaining 46 pigs, Reker still called the project was a success and planned to introduce other public art projects.\n"Everyone loved these things," Reker said. "The negatives are pretty minor compared to the positives of this whole campaign and what it did for downtown."\nAfter the amnesty period ends, those who stole the pigs could face a felony theft charge with a sentence of up to three years in prison, Bean said.